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Bioethics Midterm 2 Questions with Correct
Answers | Updated (100% Correct Answers)
Who "represents" waiver of informed consent? Answer: Insoo Hyun
what is the problem we face with informed consent? Answer: Due
to cultural differences, providers that are unaware of such variable
expectations may inadvertently transgress the cultural
integrity and personal dignity of some of their minority
patients through well-meaning efforts to obtain informed
consent in the usual, patient-centered manner—contravening,
in the process, the very principle of respect for persons that
the doctrine of informed consent was meant to protect.
What is the "easy" solution to the problem of informed consent
Answer: "waiver of informed consent":
providers broaden their view of autonomy to accommodate the
cultural values ethnically diverse patients might bring to medical
decision-making, including a preference to waive their right to
informed
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,2
consent and relinquish decision-making authority to their families.
What is the problem with the "easy solution" Answer: it rests on an
inadequate conception of personal autonomy and ignores the
possibility that some patients' values might not be authentic for
them, in the sense of being free of coercive formative influences
What is Hyun's "authenticity condition of individual autonomy"?
Answer: In order to act autonomously, one must not
simply act on the values one happens to have; one must act on
those
values that may be called "one's own" in a morally relevant sense."
(act on your own values, not just the ones you've been taught)
What is Hyun's main thesis? Answer: provide a fuller explanation of
the authenticity condition, along with an
analysis of the general conditions under which
a patient's waiver of informed consent would
be non-autonomous and ethically problematic,
even in certain cases where the patient might
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actually want to defer to the family's wishes.
Why is family the best unit of analysis for informed consent
according to the 4 aspects? Answer: 1) "First, families are where
many cultural traditions are taught,
practiced, and internalized, making families powerful SOCIAL
CONDUITS
for culture."
2) "Second, through the customs and projects they pass to the
young and
the manner in which they focus their energies and resources,
families
also cultivate and sustain what might be regarded as an overall
"FAMILIAL CHARACTER."
3) "Third ... it is also largely, and usually, within the bounds of the
family that individuals acquire and maintain a SUBJECTIVE SENSE OF
IDENTITY."
4) "Last, families are important because they help support some
unique
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, 4
and intrinsically valuable ends, such as shared personal affection
and
a keen sense of EMOTIONAL ENRICHMENT. Families are capable of
harboring a degree of LOVE AND INTIMACY rarely found in other
segments of society." (p. 16)
How can families be unjust in regards to informed consent?
Answer: *Not all families are the ideal, happy cozy bunch that all
get along: The reality is that many
families today, both Western and non-Western, are unjustly
structured: they operate under morally questionable power
dynamics and traditions ... that fail to honor equally the inherent
moral worth of each member. Injustice in the family can range
from physical and emotional abuse to less tangible injustices, such
as the family's acceptance of sexist attitudes about the proper
role of women in society.
What are the three senses of autonomy regarding informed
consent? Answer: - narrow autonomy (prevalent)
© 2025 All rights reserved
Bioethics Midterm 2 Questions with Correct
Answers | Updated (100% Correct Answers)
Who "represents" waiver of informed consent? Answer: Insoo Hyun
what is the problem we face with informed consent? Answer: Due
to cultural differences, providers that are unaware of such variable
expectations may inadvertently transgress the cultural
integrity and personal dignity of some of their minority
patients through well-meaning efforts to obtain informed
consent in the usual, patient-centered manner—contravening,
in the process, the very principle of respect for persons that
the doctrine of informed consent was meant to protect.
What is the "easy" solution to the problem of informed consent
Answer: "waiver of informed consent":
providers broaden their view of autonomy to accommodate the
cultural values ethnically diverse patients might bring to medical
decision-making, including a preference to waive their right to
informed
© 2025 All rights reserved
,2
consent and relinquish decision-making authority to their families.
What is the problem with the "easy solution" Answer: it rests on an
inadequate conception of personal autonomy and ignores the
possibility that some patients' values might not be authentic for
them, in the sense of being free of coercive formative influences
What is Hyun's "authenticity condition of individual autonomy"?
Answer: In order to act autonomously, one must not
simply act on the values one happens to have; one must act on
those
values that may be called "one's own" in a morally relevant sense."
(act on your own values, not just the ones you've been taught)
What is Hyun's main thesis? Answer: provide a fuller explanation of
the authenticity condition, along with an
analysis of the general conditions under which
a patient's waiver of informed consent would
be non-autonomous and ethically problematic,
even in certain cases where the patient might
© 2025 All rights reserved
,3
actually want to defer to the family's wishes.
Why is family the best unit of analysis for informed consent
according to the 4 aspects? Answer: 1) "First, families are where
many cultural traditions are taught,
practiced, and internalized, making families powerful SOCIAL
CONDUITS
for culture."
2) "Second, through the customs and projects they pass to the
young and
the manner in which they focus their energies and resources,
families
also cultivate and sustain what might be regarded as an overall
"FAMILIAL CHARACTER."
3) "Third ... it is also largely, and usually, within the bounds of the
family that individuals acquire and maintain a SUBJECTIVE SENSE OF
IDENTITY."
4) "Last, families are important because they help support some
unique
© 2025 All rights reserved
, 4
and intrinsically valuable ends, such as shared personal affection
and
a keen sense of EMOTIONAL ENRICHMENT. Families are capable of
harboring a degree of LOVE AND INTIMACY rarely found in other
segments of society." (p. 16)
How can families be unjust in regards to informed consent?
Answer: *Not all families are the ideal, happy cozy bunch that all
get along: The reality is that many
families today, both Western and non-Western, are unjustly
structured: they operate under morally questionable power
dynamics and traditions ... that fail to honor equally the inherent
moral worth of each member. Injustice in the family can range
from physical and emotional abuse to less tangible injustices, such
as the family's acceptance of sexist attitudes about the proper
role of women in society.
What are the three senses of autonomy regarding informed
consent? Answer: - narrow autonomy (prevalent)
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